What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
by pandorabox82
Summary: One shot sequel to Christmas in Maine. Dave has a question for Erin, but what will her answer be? And how will Hotch react to seeing their Section Chief in a new light?


Her doorbell rang promptly at seven, and she went and opened it. David stood there with a bouquet of roses and a smile. "So, English rose, what are you doing New Year's Eve?" he asked as he stepped inside.

"I'm going with you to a party," she replied softly, caressing his face as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Will you come upstairs with me for a minute? I need you to zip my dress."

He nodded and she took hold of his hand, leading him up to her room. She had a purple cocktail dress laid out on the bed, and she shed her bathrobe, standing before him in only her panties and strapless bra. "If you stand before me like that for much longer, we're going to be late to Penelope's party. And she cannot abide tardiness."

Grinning, she picked up the silky material and slipped it on. Holding the bodice to her chest, she felt him run the zipper up her back. David placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and she leaned back against him, not really wanting to leave his arms at the moment. "Let's get a move on, my sweet English rose. And we'll be able to leave once the ball drops, since we'll be the only sober ones."

"There is that. Did you remember your bag?" He nodded as he led her back downstairs and helped her into a warm woolen coat. Then he led her out to his waiting car. The leather seat was warm, he had remembered that much. "I have had the most wonderful time, Davie. Thank you for showing me how beautiful I am."

David reached across the car to clasp her hand briefly. "I've had a wonderful time, too, Erin. Have you given more thought to what I asked you?"

"A little. I'll let you know at midnight, okay?"

He nodded and they drove quickly to Derek's townhouse. It was all lit up and Erin could see that the others were already there. Dave took her arm and they went up the walk. She pressed the buzzer and they were let in moments later. Going up to the third floor, they found the door open and stepped inside, Dave closing it behind him.

"Erin, you made it!" Penelope squealed, running over to her side. The young woman threw her arms around her waist, holding her tight. "I was hoping you'd make it! Come over here, I have something for you to try." She pulled her over to the food table and picked up a plate that had a piece of cake on it. "I made this today. Try it."

Erin took the plate from her hands and picked up a fork, breaking off a small piece of the slice. It was delicious, tasting just like strawberries and cream. "Oh, my goodness, Penny. This is so yummy."

"I know, I found the recipe online, and knew I had to try it. Morgan's keeping the sparkling cider on ice for you. Would you like some now?"

"That sounds good." Once more Penelope pulled her around and she smiled ruefully at Dave. He chuckled and followed them into the kitchen where JJ and Will were leaning against the counter. "Hello," she said softly, looking at the floor.

"Hello, Erin," Will said, and she looked up at the couple. JJ was smiling at her and she couldn't help but smile back. "I heard you had quite an experience in Maine last week."

"Yes, being out on the field is always an experience. And then we ended up snowed in. It was absolutely beautiful, though. I'd recommend going to Moose River if you ever get the chance. Romance blossoms there."

"Ain't that the truth," Dave replied as he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close. "Would you mind filling our glasses with the cider?" he asked, holding out the glasses Erin had given him for Christmas.

"Sure thing, Dave." JJ took the glasses from his hand and filled them with white sparkling grape juice. "By the way, you two are really sweet together. Will and I were out at the coffee shop Wednesday and saw you walking down the street, hand in hand."

It was the first time she'd reached out to Erin and she found herself smiling shyly. "It was one of the few times we went outside last week. I, I'm not sure how to be casual, it seems."

"Well, you two are a picture perfect duo." Erin took the glass from her hand and sipped at the drink, needing to do something that would calm her nerves. "Penelope clued me in on you two. She said that you were worried about what Hotch would say. He won't be here for another hour, don't worry. His babysitter couldn't make it until eight."

Erin relaxed a little and leaned back against Dave, letting him pull her close. "Jen, will you please let Erin know that everything will be all right? She's worried that Hotch will come down hard on her because of recent events."

"You're still the Section Chief, Erin." JJ reached out and touched her hand gently. "And if he tries to use recent events against you, well, I still have contacts at the State Department."

"I'll keep that in mind, Jennifer."

"You can call me JJ. All my friends do."

Erin felt her heart clench as she nodded and she turned a little into Dave, needing the security of his embrace. "See, my rose? They're going to accept you. Hotch will just be the final hurdle." He kissed her forehead and she smiled as she nodded. "Now, I think I saw Reid and Prentiss dancing over there. Let's show them how to really cut a rug." He led her over to where Morgan had cleared a space for a dance floor and wrapped his arms around her waist.

A slow song was playing and they swayed in time to it, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. "Davie, did you ease me way with her, too?"

"Maybe, sweetheart. Sometimes it takes a person you like already to show you the way. Is that all right? I just want you to be accepted by my friends."

"Oh, Davie." She felt herself tear up and nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, tightening her grip on him. Drawing in a shaky breath, she whispered, "As long as I have you and Penelope, I think everything will be okay."

"Of course it will, because we'll take care of you. Always." He lifted her face up and placed a feather light kiss on her lips. She sighed and deepened the kiss, feeling her foot pop up a little as she did so.

"Good evening, everyone. Sorry we're late. Jack wanted to come with at the last minute and I had to explain why it was an adult only affair." Hotch stepped through the door, a young woman on his arm. He locked eyes with Erin and she watched his widen with shock. She drew back into Dave's arms, trying to calm her suddenly fast beating heart. "Hello, Erin. I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Penelope invited me before we left Maine. Who's your lovely companion?"

"This is Beth. Beth, this is Erin Strauss, my direct supervisor." The woman smiled and extended her hand. Erin took it and shook it lightly, unnerved by the sweet smile on her face.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Aaron has told me so much about you."

"Well, that's nice to hear." She was trying to be polite, but she felt the tension radiate off David and wondered what that could mean. "Davie, could we go get a refill? I find myself thirsty all of a sudden."

It was then she saw the reason for her lover's tension. A pitying look flashed across Beth's face and Aaron tensed, disapproval coming off him in waves. She fought not to break down crying right then and there, knowing it would get her nowhere. Instead, she just drew in a deep breath and pulled Dave over to the kitchen. No one was there, and she positioned herself so that no one could see her if they walked in the room before giving in to her tears.

"Shh, Erin, shh," he whispered as he rubbed her back. "He doesn't understand, my sweet rose."

"That doesn't mean it hurts any less, David." From out in the living room, she could hear the strained voice of Dr. Reid and wondered what was going on. He joined them moments later, smiling slightly at her.

"Is this where the misfits are hiding out?" She nodded as he came around to look at her. "Do you still have my coin?"

"I haven't gone anywhere without it, Spencer. You were right, knowing someone else has gone before me has made it a little easier to get through the days."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That you had to see that look on Hotch's face. I saw that at once, and I realized just how sanctimonious he can be."

"He has a tough job, Spencer, and he's been through so much in his life. I have no idea what it's like to lose my spouse in the course of doing my job, and cannot begin to fathom what toll that took on him. Agent Hotchner has every right to judge me."

"No, he doesn't, Erin. Why are you giving him that power?" Emily had joined them and was looking at her in confusion. "Why would you let him hurt you?"

She looked up at Dave and shook her head. He enveloped her in a tight hug, and she felt a sob well up out of her throat. "Prentiss, go get Kitten, would you?" He didn't answer the question, either, and Erin clung to him all the tighter, trying to disappear into him. "She's right," he whispered in her ear. "You shouldn't let him hurt you so."

"I know," she whispered back, her hand kneading the fabric of his shirt. "I shouldn't have come. I, I'm not good enough for you. I love you, but I'm not right for you."

"Erin Strauss, I never want to hear you disparage yourself so ever again. You are more than good enough for me. Hemingway said something that makes me think of us, as a whole. The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." He lifted her face and looked in her eyes. "I hate to see you broken, but I know you will be stronger in a month's time, and then a year's time, and then a decade's time, until you are shining like the diamond I know you are."

She nodded and he wiped her cheeks free of tears. "Erin, what happened? Emily said that you were crying and needed me. Honey, come here." Penelope held open her arms and Erin stepped into them willingly. "Hotch can be a bastard at times, too. Rossi didn't corner the market on that, let me tell you." She felt her friend rub her back in gentle circles and smiled at Dave. "Did I catch you tell him you love him?"

Erin gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "I think I did. That was supposed to wait until midnight, along with my answer."

"Then I'll pretend I didn't hear a thing, my English rose. Here's your glass, let's rejoin the others now." She nodded and took his outstretched hand. They followed Penelope over to the table, and saw that the others were gathered around it, a board game lying in the middle. "I take it this is what we're playing to pass the time, Kitten?"

"Very good deduction, Rossi. It's this new game I got called Wit's End. Since there are too many of us, we're going to pair off to play. What color do you want to be, Erin?"

Dave jumped in before she could, saying, "We'll be blue."

"I was going to pick that, Rossi," JJ said, nudging Will in the side with her elbow. "You better know what color to pick, honey."

"Yes, _cher_." Dave pulled out a chair for Erin and she sat, Penelope next to her. "May we pick next?" Penelope nodded and he grinned in relief. "We'll be yellow, then."

The other colors were soon passed out and Penelope handed Erin the dice first. "All right, wild card! Here's your question: The word 'torpedo' is derived from (a) the Latin name for a family of fish, (b) the German for 'to strike', or (c) the Greek for 'moving ahead'."

Erin looked up at Dave and he smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. "You're on your own for that one, dear. I have no idea."

"When in doubt, choose a, is what I was always told. Does that sound okay, Davie?" He nodded and they both looked at Penelope expectantly. She nodded and they grinned, watching as Will rolled the dice for him and JJ. They also got their question right and passed the dice on to the next pair.

Soon, two hours had passed and Erin and Dave were right behind Reid and Prentiss. A lucky roll had them landing on the space to move up to the winning level and they did so after answering their question correctly. "All right, you two, what category do you want your question to be?"

"We'll go with odd one out, Kitten. That seems to fit us this evening."

She nodded and pulled out a card. "Which one of the following is not the name of a goddess in Greek mythology: (a) Nike, (b) Gaia, (c) Logi, or (d) Persephone?"

Dave bent down and whispered in her ear. "I wonder why you weren't on that list?" She smacked him softly on his arm and he kissed her right beneath her ear. "The answer is Logi. And I think we have our costumes for Penelope's Halloween party come October."

She smiled up at him and said, "Our answer is c, Logi."

Penelope giggled happily. "And with that, you two win! Congratulations!" Erin blushed as she smiled across the table at Reid and Emily.

"I call a rematch." Reid smiled at her. "You're good, I like having a challenge."

"Just you and me, Doctor Reid?" He nodded and she bobbed her head once in reply. The others paired off and Dave sat next to her as she picked her starting spot. "Do you mind if Dave reads the questions?"

"That will be fine. Let's do this."

They hunkered down and were soon locked in a fierce battle for the winning square. Their game went much quicker, as they rattled off answers as soon as they knew them. Reid made it to the top level first, but answered his question wrong, giving her a chance to win. Dave smiled as he asked her the next question and she missed it as well. Finally, after five more rolls, she had the chance to win and looked at Dave with anticipation.

"For the win, Erin." Dave asked her the question and she thought about it for a moment.

"Bridge," she answered with certainty and he grinned. "Two for two, English rose. You've actually managed to beat our genius twice." He kissed her cheek and she grinned. "Sorry, Reid, it looks like she had better luck today."

"That's the problem with dice games. It can go either way. Though our depth of trivial knowledge is pretty evenly matched. Great games, Erin." He reached across the table and shook her hand and then they stood up. Dave led her over to where Penelope and Morgan were dancing and put his arms around her waist, swaying to the music.

"We only have sixty more minutes until it's midnight," Derek casually said as he looked over at them. "Have you made your resolutions yet?"

"Mine was made more than a month ago, Derek."

"That doesn't count, sugar. You have to come up with something that you might break. That's the fun of resolutions. Yours is more of a promise to yourself that we all are going to help you keep. I made the resolution to tell Baby Girl that I love her every day."

"That's something you're going to keep," Penelope replied. "I plan on keeping track."

Erin laughed lowly and looked up at Dave. "So, a resolution that I may fail at, huh? Maybe I'll resolve to not be a hard ass every time I deal with your team. Only when it's necessary."

"That sounds like a good one. Though I have the feeling you'll keep that one." Penelope let go of Derek and nudged Dave out of Erin's arms with her hip. "It's my turn to dance with Erin. Go get us a drink, boys."

They chuckled as they moved off and Penelope wrapped her arms around Erin's neck. "You look beautiful tonight. I hope my Italian Stallion told you that."

"Not in so many words. We were almost late to your soiree, though." Her friend giggled and she couldn't help but laugh back. "I rather love being with him, Penelope. He's asked me to move in with him on a trial basis."

"How long is the trial period?"

"Four months. I'm going to say yes."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart." Penelope pulled her close, hugging her for a moment before stepping back to look into Erin's eyes. "He makes you happy. I like seeing you happy."

"I like being happy. I never realized how much I was deadening myself. Have I thanked you for being kind to me this Christmas?"

"Only about a gazillion times." She smiled a little wider. "If I had known that reaching out would bring this side of you to the surface, I would have tried it years ago. Maybe we could have avoided the forced intervention."

"I'm stubborn, Penelope. I think that even your friendship might not have changed things. Held it off, perhaps, but I knew I had a problem long before I admitted it."

Dave came up to her side, their glasses in his hands. "Are we going up on the roof until the end?" he asked Morgan as he wrapped an arm around Erin's waist.

"Of course. The television is all set up and everything." They fist bumped and Dave went and got their coats. As he helped her into it, she smiled as she watched the others follow suit. Morgan led the way up, his arm around Penelope's waist.

Though it wasn't freezing, she still was cool and cuddled close to Dave as they found a seat on one of the park benches set up. Derek turned on the television and turned to ABC. They watched Ryan Seacrest do his shtick and she shook her head, finding the man insufferable. "Davie, have you made a resolution?" she whispered, clasping his hand tightly.

"I have, and I'll tell you it as soon as the clock strikes midnight." He kissed her forehead and she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "My sweet rose, I want to ask you something, before I ask you the other question."

"What is it, Davie?"

"What are you doing New Year's Eve?"

She smiled and looked up at him, kissing his cheek softly. "I'm spending it with my lover and some really great friends. And I have a question for you. Will you kiss me from 11:59 until 12:01? I want my year to end perfect and begin perfect."

"Ah, my sweet Erin, I can do that easily." They fell silent and she relaxed into him further as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. The ten minute warning popped up on the screen and Erin felt a strange fluttering in her stomach. She was actually nervous about this, something she'd not been for a very long time.

"All right, my lovely friends, the time is almost here to welcome our new year. Are you close to the one you love?" Penelope stood and looked around at them and Erin nodded as she squeezed Dave's hand. "Now, you can't sit down for this, you have to stand. Erin, I want you up here next to me and Morgan."

She nodded and Dave helped her to her feet, leading her over. "We're going to kiss early, Penny. I want…"

"I totally understand." Penelope molded herself to Derek, and Erin watched the others pair off and move to their own secluded areas. Dave pulled her close and kissed the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

"Five minutes left. Having any second thoughts?"

"Not a one."

"Good. But in case I stand one little chance, here comes the jackpot question in advance," he sung quietly, and she turned in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck, drawing him down so that their lips brushed. He didn't deepen the kiss, like she had expected he would and so she backed off to look into his eyes. He was struggling not to chuckle and she smacked him lightly on the chest.

The time seemed to go too slowly and yet too quickly. In the background, she could Seacrest begin the countdown at twenty and Dave yanked her close, his hands coming to rest on her ass as his lips descended to cover hers in a searing kiss. In the background, she heard the bells and whistles go off as the New Year was rung in. True to his word, he kept kissing her until Penelope tapped them on the shoulder. "It's 12:01, you two. We're heading back inside if you want to come. If not, I'll see you soon."

She kissed Erin's cheek before taking Derek's hand and leaving. "So, you have a question to ask me, Agent Rossi?"

"That I do, Chief Strauss. There's this woman that I have in my life, and she's made it very hard to live without her. And I want to ask her to live with me, at least on a trial basis. I'm not sure if we won't kill each other by the second week. But I want to at least try. Do you think I should ask her?"

"I think that this woman fancies herself in love with you, Davie. I think that she would do anything you asked of her. So, why don't you find out if you stand that one little chance?"

He stepped back and cupped her face in his large palm. Her face relaxed, she could feel it as she gazed into his eyes. "Erin, will you do me the honor of being my live-in lover for the next four months?"

"Yes, I will, Davie. I need to move beyond the memories I have at my home and make new, happy, ones with you." He kissed her once more and she sighed. "I know you didn't forget what I said earlier, but I want you to know. I love you."

She had never said those words lightly, and he seemed to pick up on that. "Thank you, Erin." She nuzzled into his hand and he took a deep breath. "I've had three great loves in my life."

"Three? I thought it was just Emma and Caroline?"

"And then there was my sweet English rose who let me in, despite everything going on in her life at that moment." She felt tears sting her eyes and he brushed them away with his thumb. "I think I love you, Erin Strauss. No, strike that, I know I love you."

"Kiss me again?"

"Forever and always." He kissed her gently and she melted into him. "So, are you ready to head back down?"

"No, I'm ready to head home, well, home for only two more days." She clasped his hand and led him downstairs, picking up speed as they went. By the time they reached the ground floor, she was laughing with joy and he joined her, scooping her up in his arms to spin her around. If this was going to be the rest of her life, she could think of no better way to spend it.


End file.
